EC/Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement: fishing opportunities and financial compensation from 28 February 2011 to 27 February 2012. Protocol

2011/0139(NLE)
In voting against the Committee on Fisheries' recommendation (326 votes against, 296 in favour and 58 abstentions), the plenary decided to withhold its consent to the conclusion of the new Protocol to the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement, which had been provisionally applied since 25 Feb 2011 pending the completion of the procedures for its formal conclusion.

In withholding its consent, Parliament supported the original recommendation by rapporteur Carl HAGLUND (ALDE, FI), who had argued that the one-year extension of the current protocol was unacceptable for economic, ecological and legal reasons and that Parliament should therefore decline to consent to its conclusion. The Committee on Fisheries had nevertheless tabled a recommendation calling on Parliament to give its consent.

As Parliament's consent is needed for agreements of this kind, pursuant to Article 218(6)a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the European Union will not be in a position to conclude the Protocol.